Interesting article about cli-fi (climate fiction), comparing and contrasting two recent novels, The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, published in 2020, and The Deluge by Stephen Markley, published in 2023.
This review suggests that the time and circumstances in which the books were written varied greatly and thus influenced their outlooks.
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Both novels are deeply grounded in reality, and all of the phenomena they portray exist in some form already. Which of our current trends lives and dies is what sets them apart.
The birth era of Ministry could plausibly claim the forces of progress were on track to win out. For Deluge, hope remained undiminished, but the weight of reality presented an ever more daunting vista of days to come.
If we are to take anything from a comparison of these two books, it is that the world is changing rapidly. Climate change is accelerating, and the political landscape to combat it is mired in the tumult of a polycrisis.
What will the outlook be like in another three years? Wil
... Show more...Interesting article about cli-fi (climate fiction), comparing and contrasting two recent novels, The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, published in 2020, and The Deluge by Stephen Markley, published in 2023.
This review suggests that the time and circumstances in which the books were written varied greatly and thus influenced their outlooks.
_______________________________
Both novels are deeply grounded in reality, and all of the phenomena they portray exist in some form already. Which of our current trends lives and dies is what sets them apart.
The birth era of Ministry could plausibly claim the forces of progress were on track to win out. For Deluge, hope remained undiminished, but the weight of reality presented an ever more daunting vista of days to come.
If we are to take anything from a comparison of these two books, it is that the world is changing rapidly. Climate change is accelerating, and the political landscape to combat it is mired in the tumult of a polycrisis.
What will the outlook be like in another three years? Will a new time of global cooperation convince us that the struggle against climate change — and the alliances it requires — can succeed? Or will the next wave of climate disasters and conflict create a future to fear?
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FULL ARTICLE -- https://www.resilience.org/stories/2024-03-26/how-climate-fiction-reflects-reality/
For the record, I was mostly disappointed by The Ministry for the Future. Although the opening chapters were gripping and harrowing, I found KSR's typical reliance on dubious high-tech solutions which are easily implemented and achieve miraculous results to be less than satisfying. In contrast, I thought The Deluge was brilliant. (See https://climatejustice.social/@breadandcircuses/109955486143645973)
#Books #Fiction #Climate #ClimateChange
Our civilizational pathway is always inseparable from the fate of the wider planet, but neither does it walk in lockstep.
Resilience (Resilience.org)
